From the football field to the stands, Southington football players and family members teamed up with The Hospital of Central Connecticut for a commercial showcasing its Emergency Department services - including treatment for sports-related injuries - at its Bradley Memorial campus.

Both Southington Valley Midget Football and Southington High School Blue Knights football players are featured in HOCC's newest TV commercial filmed late November at the town's Recreation Park. It's now being shown on cable stations targeting Southington and surrounding communities.

The commercial's storyline focuses on a young football player - 9-year-old Kamron Beaudoin - who was injured during a game and brought to the Bradley Memorial campus ED by his parents, Kimberly and Gerry Beaudoin of Southington.

Helayne Lightstone, director of Creative Services for Hartford HealthCare, says the 30-second piece showcases the ED's excellent services, exceptional staff, high patient satisfaction and "our commitment to be there for the community 24/7."

"It's wonderful to be able to execute these high-level productions internally, using the talents of our own staff, because it's cost-effective and also ensures that our messaging is precisely on target," said Lightstone.

The Southington-based ED is staffed by a board-certified physician 24/7 and is capable of evaluating and managing any emergency condition, including football injuries. Its ED Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores exceeded the 95th percentile for their peer group and all EDs during the past fiscal year. The ED also excels in timeliness of care. In 2014, the median time from arrival to being seen by a provider was 9.5 minutes and 89 percent of patients were seen in under 30 minutes.

"Making the commercial was a lot of fun, and it seemed to really fit the interests of the community. We are getting the word out that our ED is here and available to anyone who needs it, whether it's a minor injury or serious medical emergency," said Dr. Eric Hobert, medical director of the Bradley campus ED.

To support the Southington-based focus of the commercial, the Southington YMCA and Kimberly Beaudoin, Southington Valley Midget Football executive board secretary/cheerleading coach, helped secure cast members. Several members of the high school's Blue Knights football team were featured in the stands as spectators, along with family members of the midget players. Scripting and filming were done by Hartford HealthCare's creative team, including videographer Nick Dethlefsen. Make-up artist was Dawn Angeletti of Southington.

Beaudoin says it meant a lot to the league's executive board for the players to be a part of the film, especially with the league's focus on sports safety. Referencing the hospital's Bradley Memorial campus, she says it's "a huge relief that they're there for us when we need them."

The commercial launch is just one more way Hartford HealthCare (HHC) is showing its commitment to a healthier Southington. Over the last several months, HHC has taken a comprehensive approach to connecting with the community. Some outreach efforts have included establishing the website BradleyFuture.org to provide accurate updates and information, and creating a unique Healthy Southington Facebook page for relevant news.

Additionally, a new publication, "Healthy Southington," is produced each month and focuses on Bradley and Southington-based services and programs. It is inserted into the Southington zone of the Record-Journal, Southington Observer and Southington Citizen and distributed at a variety of locations in town.

"We want to better connect with the Southington community and create a future in which Bradley continues to be highly successful - a destination for those seeking care," said Trish Walden, president of Central Connecticut Senior Services and HHC's project manager for the Bradley transformation.

The Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) is a 414-bed, 32-bassinet acute care teaching hospital with two campuses, New Britain General and Bradley Memorial in Southington. A member of Hartford HealthCare, HOCC services include emergency, inpatient, surgery, laboratory, outpatient, and radiology. Among specialty areas are cardiovascular care, metabolic health, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics, and psychiatry/behavioral health. For more information, please visit www.thocc.org; for a physician referral, call 1-800-321-6244.